Something For Nothing
by thelonelyhour
Summary: I am rubbish at summaries - find out as you read! :)
1. Chapter 1

**_My first Holby City fic - please be gentle!_**

 ** _Disclaimer: Dear BBC, I am only borrowing these characters and fully intend to return them unscathed._**

Hanssen checked his watch as he dashed from the elevator towards the boardroom. Three minutes to spare. He gave a short huff of annoyance. It was always his preference to arrive at least five to ten minutes early for meetings. It gave him a chance to settle himself and also to observe everyone else as they arrived. But, he supposed, given the way his morning had started he should probably be relieved he wasn't ridiculously late.

"Mr Hanssen," Serena Campbell greeted him brightly as she stood outside the door to the boardroom.

"Ms Campbell." he replied with a small nod, he slowed to a halt and took a breath, straightening his shoulders and hoping he didn't come across as harried as he felt. However, he noticed Serena giving him a strange look and supposed he probably looked at least a little flustered.

'Rough morning?" Serena inquired with a small smirk.

He shrugged nonchalantly, there was no way he was going to admit to Serena Campbell that he had overslept. "Are we quorate?"

"Still waiting for a few stragglers." Serena's smirk became more pronounced and Hanssen felt himself bristle.

Today's meeting was to discuss a possible donation from a wealthy businesswoman, Andrea Dixon. Ms Dixon's company had recently had some bad press regarding tax evasion and Hanssen knew the cunning Ms Dixon was hoping the positive PR from making a large donation to a good cause would overshadow the company's previous problems. However, she hadn't decided yet who was to benefit from this donation and had been very open about the fact that it was between Holby City and St James's. Hanssen suspected Ms Dixon rather enjoyed having people compete for her attention and he knew the management at St James's had gone to great lengths to impress at their meeting with her the day before. Ms Dixon had been treated to a grand tour of St James's, starting with their most innovative and technologically advanced departments and of course, typically, ending with a sympathy inducing tour of the paediatrics ward. Hanssen wouldn't be surprised to hear they had thrown in a few puppies and kittens just to really pull at the heart strings! He almost rolled his eyes now just thinking about it.

This was therefore not a good day for him to be off his game. Ms Dixon had been given all the cliches yesterday. He suspected snazzy bits of equipment and sick children wouldn't have the same effect two days running, if that is they had any effect to begin with. Ms Dixon seemed a little more hard-nosed and Hanssen knew he needed to make a very good argument on Holby City hospital's behalf and be clear on why it would benefit Ms Dixon more to donate here rather that to St James's.

He took a deep breath and turned to make his way to the boardroom door but felt Serena place a a hand on his arm and hold him back. He glanced down at her hand and then up at her face with a look of surprise.

"You've got a little…" she gestured with her hand towards his face.

"What?"

"Shaving cream." she explained. "You've got some…" again she gestured with her hand.

In embarrassment Hanssen swiftly rubbed at his face. He had been in such a rush he hadn't given himself a proper once over in the mirror before leaving the house. Serena shook her head as he missed where she was pointing to.

"Come here," she said, tugging him towards her and reaching up to gently rub the shaving cream from his jawline with her thumb. "There." she used her hand on his chin to turn his head and ensure there were no other spots he had missed. "All good." she smiled.

Serena's hands then moved to adjust his tie, straightening the knot and then flattening it down against his chest. Hanssen felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach. Probably because you skipped breakfast, he told himself.

"Oh ah…" Elliot Hope appeared looking out of breath and slightly awkward at the scene he had just walked into. "Sorry I…" he gestured aimlessly with this hands. "I was afraid I was running late."

"You are." Hanssen replied, stepping away from Serena and fixing Elliot with a stern look, not because he felt Elliot deserved to be admonished but because he suddenly felt like he needed to reassert some sense of formality.

Stepping into the boardroom Hanssen immediately greeted the tall, sharp suited blonde woman who approached him.

"Ms Dixon, lovely to see you again." Hanssen fixed her with his best professional smile.

"Oh I do hope you mean that Henrik!" she replied, giving his hand a firm squeeze.

"Of course." he said, "You remember Ms Campbell, my deputy?"

After the introductions as they took a seat at the table, he felt Serena lean towards him. "I think you've got a fan there!" she whispered.

"Pardon?"

Serena nodded discreetly towards Andrea Dixon. "Dixon. She's taken a shine to you!"

Hanssen threw her a look that said 'don't be ridiculous' but Serena smirked.

"She was looking at you the way Elliot eyes up a pastry! "Oh I do hope you mean that Henrik", Serena mimicked and held back a laugh.

Hanssen quietly shushed her but Serena was undeterred. "Hey, if it helps us get the money…" she winked.

"Shush!"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you for the reviews, glad someone likes it! This is just a short chapter but hopefully you'll enjoy :)**_

Nearing the end of Elliot's presentation Hanssen, sitting in between Serena and Ms Dixon, found his attention wandering, as hunger began to take hold. It wasn't that he was unaccustomed to missing breakfast or going long periods without something to eat - that was something you had to get used to as a doctor, but he realised he had not had anything to eat since lunchtime yesterday. Granted, it had been a late lunch at around 3pm, but still, even for Hanssen that was a considerable length of time to go without sustenance. Just as he was hoping the grumbling of his stomach wouldn't become audible to everyone else, he felt something touch his thigh.

Glancing down he barely had time to register that it was Ms Dixon's hand when she moved it further towards his groin and cupped him. A mixture of shock and reflex caused his entire body to jerk suddenly and his chair scraped on the floor as his right knee hit the underside of the table.

The unexpected commotion lead to eight pairs of eyes suddenly turning towards him in surprise. Elliot stood by his power point presentation with his mouth agape and look of confusion on his face.

Hanssen cleared his throat. "My apologies Professor Hope, please continue." He looked Elliot in the eye and gave a firm nod of his head, impressed with himself that he managed to get the words out in such an even and confident tone. Appearing to realise that the CEO wasn't going to explain what had caused his sudden movement, everyone returned their attention to Elliot. Hanssen chanced a quick sideways glance at Ms Dixon who's attention appeared to be on Elliot but Hanssen noticed a smirk playing about her lips. He didn't dare look at Serena, though he could tell from the corner of his eye that she was still staring at him.

As the meeting drew to a close and Elliot lead Ms Dixon and her cohorts out of the boardroom to give them a tour of Darwin, Hanssen had excused himself from accompanying them on the tour with the excuse of having a conference call, in truth he intended to go and get something to eat, but he found his way blocked by Serena Campbell.

"What the heck was that?" she asked. Before he could respond verbally she raised an eyebrow at him and continued. "Don't give me that look - you know what!"

Hanssen wasn't aware that he had given any "look". He opened his mouth to reply but Serena continued again.

"She touched you up in the middle of a meeting!"

Hanssen noted Serena seemed quite het up about this, surprisingly so he thought, given her earlier teasing. "Ms Dixon accidentally - "

"Accidentally?" Serena scoffed, cutting him off again. "There was nothing _accidental_ about her grabbing your - "

"I think its best we ignore the incident." this time, he cut Serena off. Truth be told, he was still trying to get his head around it. Dixon hadn't as much as batted an eyelid afterwards, aside from that hint of a smirk.

"Are you sure?" he thought he detected a hint of concern in Serena's expression but surmised that couldn't be the case.

"Absolutely certain. The most important thing right now is convincing Ms Dixon to donate that money to Holby City. There is no point in distracting from that because of a momentary lapse in judgement on her part."

"If you're certain…" Serena trailed off and he thought he saw that flicker of concern again.

"I am."

He watched Serena leave the room and contemplated Ms Dixon's actions again. What could she possibly have been thinking? He hoped it really had been a momentary lapse in judgement and not one that would be repeated.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Once again, thank your for the comments. I squeezing the writing of this into a rather busy schedule so I cannot promise updates will always be regular, but I will try even if it means posting shorter chapters just to keep things moving. Hope you continue to enjoy it :)**_

Hanssen sat at his desk, took a bite of his sandwich, the only offering from Pulses which had appealed to him, and chewed slowly. Two pieces of discarded tomato lay neatly on a napkin to his left and a cup of green tea sat to his right. He had gone over the incident with Ms Dixon several times now in his head and still couldn't make sense of it. If it were not for the potential funding, which the hospital desperately needed, he would have confronted the woman and told her in no uncertain terms that her behaviour was unacceptable. As it was however, he didn't want to risk not only the possibility of losing the funding but also of attracting unwanted scandal. The press were overly interested in Ms Dixon at the moment, and he knew she cultivated a lot of that interest herself with her constant self-promotion. As far as Ms Dixon appeared to be concerned all publicity was good publicity and he suspected she had her lackies sometimes even intentionally "leak" stories about her to the press. He didn't want today's incident to be yet another story about her which reached the press via an unknown "source".

Taking a sip of his tea, Hanssen contemplated his options. It was fair to say he had little experience of dealing with unwanted female attention (or even wanted female attention!), but that wasn't to say it had never happened before. Of course, he thought, no one has ever gone so far as Ms Dixon in expressing their interest. Generally, he found that pretending to be completely oblivious to any kind of flirtatious behaviour seemed to work. Usually, a few blank looks and being deliberately obtuse when it came to any kind of innuendo was enough to discourage most women, and on one occasion a male anaesthetist with a penchant for wearing too much aftershave.

He checked his watch and gave a short discontented sigh. Ms Dixon and the others would be continuing their tour on AAU by now and he couldn't justify being absent any longer, despite Ms Campbell's offer to handle things from now on. If word reached the Board that the hospital's CEO had been absent for most of Ms Dixon's visit there would be questions. He began to tidy away the remains of his sandwich, crinkling his nose in distaste as he dumped the slices of tomato into the bin. The devil's fruit indeed.

A few minutes later he stepped onto AAU and found the group gathered around the nurse's station as Raf de Luca spoke to them about facial reconstruction. Most of them looked completely uninterested. Dixon however seemed enthralled. Hanssen briefly wondered if it was the procedure she was interested in or Mr de Luca. Part of him, shamefully, hoped it was the latter so that her attentions might be otherwise directed in future. Glancing around the ward he tried to spot Ms Campbell but his attention was drawn suddenly by raised voices, he thought he heard Ms Campbell's in the mix just before a crashing sound and a kidney dish flew across the floor. Hurrying past the group to the corner of the ward where the sound had come from he discovered his deputy lying on the floor and Nurse Fletcher holding back a red faced and aggrieved looking woman.

"What on earth is going on?" he growled as he immediately kneeled beside Serena. He could hear the babbling protestations of the woman Fletch was holding onto that she "didn't mean it", but she was the least of his concern at present. Serena appeared to have a small gash on her head, near her hairline above her temple and was more than a little dazed. He was concerned she might even have lost consciousness for a moment. "Ms Campbell? Are you alright? Do you think you can stand?" He held her arm supportively as she tried to sit up.

By now others were gathering around to see what was happening. He wouldn't have Serena being a spectacle for everyone to gawp at. "Dr Digby, clear these people away will you? We do not require an audience." he instructed the somewhat stunned looking junior. Briefly it occurred to him that Arthur Digby never seemed to adapt very quickly to the unexpected. He made a mental note to discuss the boy with Ms Campbell. Now however he needed to get her to a bed.

Having instructed Raf to keep Ms Dixon and co entertained, Hanssen had settled Serena onto a bed and drawn the curtains to thwart the onlookers and began to examine her. The cut didn't look very deep, but he was worried by how quiet she was being. Serena Campbell meekly doing as she's told is not normal, he thought to himself. He had expected her to protest and refuse to get onto the bed, or even to refuse to have him examine her but she simply went along with it.

"Follow the light for me please." he shone the torch into her eyes and observed her pupils.

"I'm alright." she said eventually. "Just a little winded. And humiliated!"

"What happened?" he asked, it still wasn't clear to him how the consultant had ended up on the floor with a cut to her head.

"I'm not even sure. Arthur's patient and that other retched woman got into an argument. He wasn't having much success in calming the situation so I stepped in. Or rather I tried to. I barely got a word out when that…" Serena pursed her lips and Hanssen guessed she was holding back an expletive. " _woman,_ hit me with her elbow and sent me flying. I must have hit my head on the trolley as I went."

Hanssen moved some of her hair away to get a better look at the cut. "It isn't deep." He allowed the back of his hand to rest briefly against her cheek. He wasn't sure why and he missed the look which crossed Serena's face as he did so. "I'm sending you for a CT scan."

"What? There's no need!"

He moved away and pulled the curtain back a fraction to locate a nurse. Fletch was immediately on hand.

"How's she doing?" Fletch asked.

"I want you to book a CT scan and that cut needs cleaning." Hanssen ignored Serena's protests and was glad to hear Fletch backing him up.

"Hey, if Mr Hanssen thinks you need a CT you're getting a CT." Fletch told her. "Now behave yourself and do as you're told without argument for once."

Hanssen couldn't help but scoff in amusement at that and earned himself a glare from Serena.

"It's a little bump to the head. I feel fine." she insisted.

"That as may be but I would rather be safe than sorry Ms Campbell." Once again he couldn't help himself as he observed the sulky look on her face, he broke into a smile which he immediately tried to hide by turning away. "I'll be back." he said as he stepped out of the cubicle and he thought he heard her mutter something about "the Swedish terminator".

He spotted Arthur Digby standing nearby and summoned him, demanding to know the full details of what had happened. Five minutes later he pursed his lips in exasperation at the human race. It turned out Arthur's patient and the woman who had knocked Serena over had been at queuing outside a theatre to see some actor, they had gotten into an argument during which the patient was injured and was brought to hospital. The other woman had followed, the argument had continued and resulted in the Deputy CEO being knocked to the floor.

"I presume you got security to see the woman off the ward." Hanssen raised an eyebrow at the young doctor who was once again looking incredibly uncertain of himself. "Well?" he asked sharply.

"Umm I think Fletch asked…"

"You _think._ A member of staff is assaulted whilst trying to sort a situation that _you_ allowed to get out of hand and you only _think_ that someone else has arranged for the assailant to be escorted off the ward?" Hanssen could feel his patience wearing thin.

"I uh…"

"Go and speak to security now and make sure that woman is not allowed on the ward."

"Yes, of course."

But despite agreeing Hanssen noticed Arthur still wasn't moving. What was wrong with the boy? "Now Dr Digby!" he snapped and watched the doctor scuttle off.

"Wow! How very masterful!"

Hanssen recognised Andrea Dixon's low purr and turned to find her standing behind him with her now familiar smirk.

"I love a man who can take charge." she continued, stepping towards him and linking her arm through his before he could react. "How is Ms Campbell?"

"She's fine. About to go for scan to be certain but there doesn't appear to be any serious injury." he answered, trying to extricate his arm from her grip and eventually succeeding as she expressed her relief that Serena wasn't badly hurt. Hanssen could tell she didn't care in the slightest how Serena was doing. The woman really was abhorrent, he thought to himself.

"Well I'm afraid I have to go, something's come up. But I can meet you tomorrow afternoon to go through the rest." she said, flicking her hair.

"Oh." Hanssen had not been expecting that, the hospital tour had not ended yet. He wondered if this meant they were out of the running.

"Don't worry," Dixon gave a predatory smile, "It's not a sign, I haven't ruled you out. In fact…" she leaned in and he could feel her breath against his cheek as she whispered, "you're my favourite!"

One of her lackies appeared holding a phone and Dixon suddenly beamed cheerfully at him. "Lets get a photo, to mark the occasion!" Ushering "the handsome Dr de Luca and pretty nurse Cara" into postion for the photo also, Dixon stood next to Hanssen. One photo was taken and Dixon ordered another and as she did so Hanssen felt the pressure of her hand on bum. Tensing but maintaining a blank expression Hanssen quietly counted to ten in his mind and forced himself not to react to the woman's actions. Just as she had early that day Dixon simply smirked and continued to chat to others around them as if nothing had happened.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Once again, thank you for the reviews :)**_

Hanssen arrived back in his office having sent Serena for her CT and left strict instructions with Nurse Fletcher that she was to rest afterwards and to call him as soon as the results were through. He didn't expect anything to show in the CT but he wanted to be sure Serena remained under observation for a little while, he suspected she might be mildly concussed as she was far too quiet after the incident and he was pretty sure she had been fighting nausea too but of course wouldn't admit it. He checked his appointment book but he had set aside at least another hour for Ms Dixon's tour so he had nothing scheduled until the afternoon.

He didn't want to think about Ms Dixon. His mobile phone beeped and he opened up the message to see the beaming, smiling face of his grandson and it brought an involuntary smile to his own face.

He found it hard to believe the boy was already two years old, well almost, his second birthday was tomorrow. A second message arrived, from his son, thanking him for the present he had sent. He replied saying there was no need for thanks. He felt he should probably say more, that perhaps he should call but…

He placed the phone on his desk, making sure it lined up with his laptop. He checked the time on his watch. Angus Farrell would no doubt be calling him soon to see how things went with Andrea Dixon. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to say. In terms of the funding he wasn't sure how the meeting had gone. Were they still in with a chance? He should probably discuss it with Serena before talking to Farrell. He certainly did not intend to tell Farrell about Ms Dixon's behaviour towards him personally and would have to make sure that Serena didn't mention it either.

The way she had touched his bum in AAU had almost disturbed him more than what she did during the meeting. He wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps because it had been more open, someone could have seen her, whereas during the meeting if it hadn't been for his reaction it probably would have gone unnoticed. She clearly didn't care if anyone saw, which either meant she saw no harm in it or she thought herself above any repercussions. He knew he had not given her any reason prior to this to think that he was open to anything like this. He had been polite but professional. But perhaps… Perhaps by not making it clear after the first incident that what she had done was inappropriate he had encouraged her to try again. He sighed in frustration, he just didn't know how to handle things like this.

He thought back to his last sexual encounter, well, his last proper sexual encounter. He didn't think the events at Malick's wedding really counted…

He had spent 25 years with just the memory of Maja and had convinced himself that sex was not something he was interested in. Even with Sahira Shah, he had beaten down his libido and convinced himself that his interest in her was purely professional. Had made it into something so much greater than lust or love… he almost laughs, bitterly as opposed to with amusement, when he thinks about all those years he spent obsessing about Sahira. Pushing her to be something she didn't really want, not deep down. Sahira would have been perfectly happy with mediocrity; perfectly happy to be a _decent_ surgeon, do her hours and go home to play adoring wife and mum. Perfectly happy to have the fawning attention of second rate surgeons like Greg Douglas to boost her confidence. Even now, Hanssen cannot disguise his bitterness at the thought of Greg Douglas. Although perhaps he should be glad the Irishman had pulled the thread that eventually caused the whole Sahira saga to unravel. Perhaps they all would have been better off if it had happened sooner.

He wonders, sometimes, if he had not been so incapable of admitting he was attracted to the stunning Ms Shah would he still have pushed her, drilled her, into becoming the talented surgeon that she did? The extra hours "mentoring" her, making her practice her stitching over and over, giving her every available opportunity to practice and hone her skills. All just to spend time with her, to see that beautiful smile directed at him when she achieved something she first hadn't thought herself capable of. What if, instead of convincing himself it was all about nurturing her talent, what if he had slept with her?

In those early days, when Sahira was a self-doubting F1, it probably would have been relatively easy to get her into bed - even for you, the snide voice in his head says. He doesn't kid himself that Sahira was attracted to him back then, or ever, but she was in awe of him. He had her hanging on his every word, he had moulded her into being the perfect F1. He knew she gave up nights out to stay behind and observe him in theatre, to read his recent articles for different medical journals. For years, he pulled Sahira's strings and she always complied. So, why had he never pulled her into his bed? He could argue that it was because he was a better man than that, he wasn't like other senior doctors who he knew manipulated and regularly had affairs with their interns. But thats not why, is it Henrik, the snide voice spoke again.


End file.
